Alex Wolff has been cast to play Leonard Cohen in a new series about the Canadian icon and his muse Marianne Ihlen. The brilliantly-named Thea Sofie Loch Næss will portray Ihlen in the show, which is titled So Long, Marianne – the title of one of Cohen’s famous songs about his partner.
The series is being billed as an intimate tale of two lonely people falling in love during a period of their life when they are trying to figure out who they are and their place in the world, while one is becoming one of the most famous singers of all time.
The majority of the series will focus on the picturesque Greek island of Hydra, where the couple lived during the 1960s. They joined Australian novelists Charmian Clift and George Johnston, leaders of a bohemian group of artists exploring a new world of free love, drugs, and artistic freedom, while also experiencing the rivalries and jealousy that accompanied their intense lives.
The show will be a co-production between Norwegian broadcaster NRK and Canada’s Crave, the streaming service owned by Bell Media. Cineflix Rights is distributing the series globally.
Øystein Karlsen, series creator for Redpoint Productions, said in a statement: “It feels like the way the world is right now, a series that celebrates life and love, with a core about finding your way in life, is needed more than ever.”
Principal photography is taking place in the aforementioned Hydra, Ihlen’s home country of Norway, and Cohen’s hometown of Montreal, Canada.
Wolff will next be seen in Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer this summer, while he’s also reteaming with Pig filmmaker Michael Sarnoski on Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One alongside Lupita Nyong’o, which is currently set for a 2024 release.
#Peace.Love.SoLongMarianne
